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A 19 year old man was hospitalized in Duluth last night after going into convulsions following the use of a marijuana alternative. According to the Duluth Police Department, 911 were called after the teen was quote "freaking out, hitting the wall, and not making any sense."

When authorities arrived at the scene the man was alert, but shaking uncontrollably. The marijuana alternative the man took was called "Fear and Loathing" and police were told it was purchased at a Duluth based business. In August, the Duluth City Council passed an ordinance banning the sale of synthetic marijuana across the city.

Police patrolling a Sydney music festival have arrested and charged a security guard with selling drugs at the event. Police say the 51-year-old man had $390 in cash on him and 50 ecstasy tablets at the Field Day Festival in the Domain. They say cannabis was found in his car. Police say they also found six ecstasy tablets on a 25 year old man they allege bought drugs from the security guard. The security guard, from Lidcombe, was charged with two counts of supplying a prohibited drug, dealing with property suspected of being the proceeds of crime and drug possession.

He has been granted conditional bail and is due to appear in North Sydney Local Court on January 25. The 25 year old man was issued with a court attendance notice for drug possession and is due in Downing Centre Local Court on January 24. Two other people were also charged with supplying drugs at the festival. A total of 111 people were arrested among the crowd of 20,000. Seven festival-goers were taken to hospital for suspected drug overdoses.

San Luis Obispo, California Sheriff Pat Hedges is up to his old tricks; making a mockery of California's laws that protect sick people who use medical marijuana. This week his intensive 'anti-drug' efforts involved his tracking down "mobile marijuana dispensaries" that deliver medicine to those who have an otherwise difficult time accessing this legal herb. Remember, in California dispensaries can legally sell marijuana, unlike Oregon.

Fifteen people were arrested in Hedges' big 'drug bust'. The youngest was 33, the oldest was 60. One of those arrested; a resident of Paso Robles, told Salem-News.com: "Sheriff Hedges is making one last gasp against Medical Marijuana before his term is up next month. A girlfriend of a detective got a legal MM recommendation from a local doctor. She then used the print out of Dispensaries and Delivery services and asked for deliveries from all or most of the services listed on the print out. Anybody who made a delivery to Amy Dobson was raided by the Sheriff's Drug Taskforce on or around Dec. 28."

Apparently the 'investigation' was simply an effort to arrest and jail non violent offenders based on the use of business records. And that took two months? The person quoted above also said: "I am a Medical Marijuana patient and manage a very small MM co-operative. I made deliveries to Dobson and personally verified her recommendation. I now have 5 cannabis related felonies against me."

Police in South Elgin say they have intercepted 82 pounds of marijuana that a California man allegedly shipped to himself in the Chicago suburb. Police tell the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald that marijuana seized Wednesday at a freight and delivery company had an estimated street value of $470,000.

The arrested man, 69-year-old Walter Kwiatek (kwee-a-TECK') of Cloverdale, Calif., appeared Thursday in Kane County Bond Court on charges of marijuana trafficking, manufacture or delivery of marijuana and possession of marijuana. His bond was set at $500,000. Police say they believe Kwiatek shipped the marijuana to himself from an address in Santa Rosa, Calif. Police were not available for further comment Thursday, and did not say whether Kwiatek had an attorney.

Police raided a cannabis factory where drugs worth £80,000 were being cultivated. The 70 marijuana plants were found with a lighting and hydroponics system at a warehouse in Irlams o' th' Height, Salford. Officers carried out the warrant on Claremont Road at around 8am, after members of the public tipped off the police. Cops were joined by fire fighters who helped prise open doors of the factory to discover a secure room containing the drugs.

Police confiscated the haul and believe the value of the plants is somewhere between £60,000 and £80,000. A 40-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of production of a Class B drug with intent to supply and is now being quizzed by police. PC Danielle Southwell said: "We have listened to the concerns of our residents who feel that this area is being blighted by drug dealing and today's warrant is a direct result of information from members of the public. "Thanks to their help, we have seized more than 70 mature cannabis plants and in doing so stopped a large amount of drugs from flooding our streets.

"Sadly, drug addiction leads to other crimes such as burglary and robbery as a means to fund their addiction and people who cultivate cannabis serve only to propagate this cycle of misery. "Help us to rid the streets of drugs and the people who peddle them by contacting us. This recovery shows what we can achieve when the public work with us so, please, if you do know anything come forward."

The B.C. NDP leadership race got off to a shaky start Wednesday, with a dust-up over whether the first person to declare his candidacy was a paid-up party member. Marijuana activist Dana Larsen held a news conference to announce his intention to campaign for the leadership. Three hours later, NDP party president Moe Sihota said Mr. Larsen was ineligible because he did not have a membership card. Mr. Larsen subsequently blamed a clerical error at NDP offices for the mix-up.

He renewed his membership, changed his address and made a donation in November, he said in a news release. "The donation was processed, however, my address change, and now it seems my membership, were not” said Mr. Larsen. “Moe Sihota chose to resolve this clerical error through the media rather than contacting me directly. That is highly irregular, “Mr. Larsen said. Earlier, Mr. Sihota said Mr Larsen may be ineligible even if he buys a membership. Mr. Larsen was a federal NDP candidate in the 2008 election campaign who stepped down following controversy over his marijuana use.

“Having been deemed ineligible to run federally, that raises the question if he could run provincial,” Mr. Sihota said in an interview. The rules committee for the leadership race is slated to meet next week to set the eligibility requirements. Mr. Larsen may not qualify under those rules, Mr. Sihota said. “He is currently ineligible, and may be ultimately ineligible,” he said. However, Mr. Larsen insisted he could run. “I’m a member in good standing in the NDP, as far as I know,” he said. “I make monthly donations on my credit card.” Mr. Larsen also said he voluntarily chose to resign as a federal NDP candidate; he was not disqualified. “As far as I know, I would qualify under any rules the party would set, or under any rules they have set in the past. I cannot imagine any rule they would set that would disqualify me,” he said.